And now he's starting preseason workouts with his Don Bosco (Ramsey, N.J.) Preparatory School teammates with his senior year right around the corner.

On Thursday, DeVito took 15 minutes to talk about The Opening Finals, working out with Cruz, recruiting rankings, SU's Class of 2017 targets and more.

The below has been edited slightly for brevity and clarity.

Courtesy/Student Sports

SB: Obviously, you excelled at The Opening, making the all-7on-7 team. What do you think you did that allowed you to do so well there?

TD: I just knew my playbook. That was probably the biggest thing, and trusted in the Elite 11 coaches and what their system is. As far as the timing and that kind of thing, the belief in the offense, and that's what I did. I just knew all the plays, knew them in and out, knew where the receivers were going to be. That really helped me perform well.

SB: Is it pretty much the same playbook that you ran at Elite 11 (it is)? So how much of that success goes into time spent studying between the Elite 11 and The Opening.

TD: They gave us most of the playbook going into LA. That was a big part of it. And when we got up to Oregon, we were expected to know it even better than we did in LA. They also added a few more things while we were out there, so you had to pick that up. And I did. I picked it up really well. I can pick up a playbook pretty fast, so hopefully, when I get to Syracuse, I can do the same thing.

SB: When we talked after Elite 11, you said one of the biggest changes you made was learning to think differently as a quarterback. You said you had been playing catch; now you're learning about timing and defenses. How did that growth continue at The Opening?

TD: You've really got to focus on that side of it. Compared to LA, LA was just a bunch of athletes in the area. This was The Opening. This was the 166 best athletes in the country so your timing really had to be perfect. There are DBs who run a 4.3 or 4.4, who can break on the ball real fast. You just have to know what you're doing and know where (the ball) has to be ahead of time. You can't just make a last-second decision because it could end up being a pick going the other way.

SB: Working with the coaches out there, was there any technical or otherwise improvement that you made that is going to shape the way you play?

TD: Aside from the throwing part of it, probably the leadership role. We definitely learned that a lot more than LA. Just getting little bits and pieces that we can bring back to our high schools. As far as the throwing part, just being more relaxed when you're throwing. That's about it.

SB: Is there a favorite memory, maybe even not from the competitive side of things?

TD: The whole thing was really amazing. Probably the best thing about it was the bond that the Elite 11 quarterbacks made even throughout LA and then going out to Oregon. It was fun being able to play with them, knowing those guys are going to be doing the same thing you're doing in the future — playing college football and hopefully going to the next level. If you ever have any questions about anything, if you can do anything better, you can always talk to those guys.

SB: Switching gears, I saw that you worked out with Victor Cruz and threw to him. How did that come about?

TD: (Cruz) came in contact with my offensive coordinator Coach (Mike) Teel, who I guess he's friends with. And then (Teel) asked me, 'Would you like to throw with Victor Cruz?' So I said, 'Of course. What kind of question is that?' I met him at William Patterson field, threw to him and another guy (Justin Talley) and it was fun.

SB: Where there any nerves? How does throwing at The Opening with all those people compare to being pretty much alone with an NFL receiver?

TD: I was a little nervous going into it, but my quarterbacks coach Leon Clarke was there as well. He was like, 'Dude, you already did what you had to do in high school. Go have fun. You're playing with an NFL wide receiver.' So I went into it thinking that I just wanted to have fun. I knew that I could put that ball anywhere and he would go get it. So it was just a lot of fun throwing the NFL ball. That ball is unbelievable. It's lighter, it spins better, it's just great. It was a lot of fun to go out there and play catch with him that day.

SB: A little more generally, this has been a super crazy summer for you. Between Elite 11, The Opening and throwing to an NFL wide receiver, how has this experience affected the way you view yourself, your confidence level and how good of a player you can be?

Courtesy/Student Sports

TD: My confidence level has always been there. I was always confident in myself. I don't worry about the (recruiting) rankings. I could care less about that. But doing all of that stuff and being in the place where I am, it definitely helped me know where I am in the country as a quarterback. I was definitely confident in myself, but I wasn't sure exactly where I stood. But now after this stuff, I can tell where I stand and how my high school season's going to go. It just brings a different mindset to you going into your high school season knowing what you've done and that you can bring that onto the field.

SB: I know you said the rankings don't bother you, but it is kind of crazy that a couple of the outlets (Rivals.com and Scout.com) still have you at three stars. Does it still surprise you that you aren't getting that recognition?

TD: Yeah, some of them. Especially because the performances that I had were at The Opening and the Elite 11, where I did better than some of the guys that were five stars and ESPN300, who were in All-America games. I was like, 'Alright, it's whatever.' I don't know, I guess they're just sticking with those guys and they like big-name guys because it's how they get paid.

SB: What has the relationship been like with Syracuse through all this? What have you guys been talking about lately?

TD: I speak with Coach Lewis every day. We talk about football, we talk about everything, barbecue. We were talking about cooking and already made a bet that if I throw a certain amount of touchdown passes, he'll cook me dinner. Just fun stuff like that, but mainly about recruiting. We're trying to have the same mindset for recruiting players. Like our last receiver, we agreed on the one player that we chose (Russell Thompson-Bishop). We're just agreeing on the players that we think can better the program — not only as an athlete, but as a person.

TD: I was told that it was between him and Russell Thompson-Bishop. That's what Eddie told me. He told me that he was told to wait and see what that kid does, and he wasn't too fond of that. So I guess he thought he was behind (Thompson-Bishop) so he told me ahead of time, before Russell committed, that he probably was not going to commit because he doesn't want to be second to anybody.

SB: Are there any other positions or recruits that you're really pushing for?

There's a whole bunch of them. We really only need one running back and we're going for Tayon Fleet-Davis. Two tight ends, (Aaron) Hackett and then another tight end and then some o-linemen and we should be set on offense.

SB: The last time we talked, you said that Texas A&M had gauged your interest. Have any other schools reached out to see if they can flip you?

TD: No. I think they all got the message.

SB: Looking ahead to your senior year, what's your approach going into it and what have the first couple days of workouts been like?

TD: It's been fun just to get back on the field with the team and starting to build the bond that you do throughout the year. We did competition, offense vs. defense, which gets a little tense, but at the end of the day, you're all on the same team. We all have the same goals in mind.

... What I'm probably going to have to do this year is step up and be that leader. That'll be my biggest contribution to the team. I'm looking forward to it, and it's going to be fun.

SB: You mentioned picking up leadership aspects at the Elite 11 and The Opening. Is there anything you've tried to carry over so far?

TD: Just the mindset going into it probably. They told us that we have to have a positive mindset because if you don't have a positive mindset, you're going to go out there and it's going to get worse every time. So I've talked to the guys before, especially the o-linemen because we have a young o-line. I've talked to them a couple times just to talk about something else and get their minds off it. The longer you're nervous before scrimmaging or practice, the worse it is. You just need to be as positive as possible.

SB: Is anything changing with the way Don Bosco will run its offense this year?

TD: They're definitely going to have me run a little bit more this year because we did have a big load at running back that left last year. We have another running back, but it's not going to be as crazy as it was last year. So they're probably going to have me run a little more zone read this year to keep the chains moving and stuff.